A Guyanese man, who US law enforcement authorities consider to be “one of New York’s finch-smuggling kingpins”, has been sentenced to one year in jail after he was busted and found guilty of smuggling birds into the United States.

The 62-year-old man, Insaf Ali was arrested in 2018 and 2021 at the JFK Airport while smuggling birds into the US. He is considered a serial bird smuggler.

During his Court case, he contended that his smuggling of birds is not about the money, but more about the Guyanese culture and his love for towa-towa birds, which carry a hefty price tag when sold in the US.

“His need to have these specific birds to train, sing with, and to keep him company satisfied an emotional longing and need,” his lawyer, Christine Delince wrote, in a Jan. 26 letter to the court that quotes Emily Dickinson and Maya Angelou.

Ali’s Attorney also played a video at his sentencing with some of his relatives and friends talking about the bird whistling culture in Guyana and the love of birds.

The New York Daily News reported that Prosecutors in the case said that Ali’s love of the songbirds, which he sells to make a living, means he’ll continue to break the law and keep running his smuggling operation.

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